The Effects of Two Different Rest Intervals on the Repeated Skating Ability of Ice Hockey Forwards and Defensemen

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of two different rest intervals (2 min and 3 min),between two consecutive sets of repeated sprint skating ability (RSSA) tests, on the repeated sprint ability ofice hockey Forwards and Defensemen. Two protocols of RSSA tests, RSSA-2 and RSSA-3, were completed by16 ice hockey Forwards and 8 Defensemen. Defensemen were heavier (p < 0.05) than Forwards, although their% body fat did not differ significantly. In RSSA-2, athletes performed six sets of 3x80 m sprint skating with 2min passive recovery between two consecutive sets. In RSSA-3, the rest interval between the sets was 3 min.Average speed, average heart rate (HRaver), blood lactate concentration ([BLa]), and the rate of perceivedexertion (RPE) were measured in both RSSA-2 and RSSA-3 tests. Both Forwards and Defensemen skated fasterin RSSA-3 than in the corresponding set of RSSA-2. Forwards were faster than Defensemen in both the tests,however, the difference was significant (p < 0.05) only in RSSA-2. In Forwards and Defensemen, HRaverincreased gradually from set 1 through set 6 in RSSA-2 and RSSA-3. In most of the sets, RPE was higher inRSSA-2 than in RSSA-3, and Defensemen perceived higher exertion than Forwards. No difference in [BLa]was noted between Forwards and Defensemen, although players of both positions showed higher [BLa] inRSSA-3 than in RSSA-2. This study concludes that (1) Forwards skate faster than Defensemen, (2) averageheart rate and [BLa] does not vary between Forwards and Defensemen, and (3) a higher perceived exertion isobserved in Defensemen than Forwards during repeated sprint skating tests.